


Back Alley

by zoruas



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU
Genre: Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Batfamily (DCU), Patrol, Stabbing, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24442963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zoruas/pseuds/zoruas
Summary: Barbara's voice was in her ear, tone as poised as ever. Stephanie envied that - her relentless calm, even in the face of brewing panic. It was a skill that had taken months to develop when she was younger, but now, it seemed to fail her. "Spoiler. Spoiler, do you read? Stay with me."
Relationships: Stephanie Brown & Barbara Gordon, Stephanie Brown & Bruce Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Jason Todd
Comments: 4
Kudos: 92





	Back Alley

Stephanie let out a low groan as she slid to the ground, her purple cape bunching up around her neck. One hand skimming the frozen gravel, she used the other to feel around her abdomen. _Shit_. Her heart jackhammered against her ribs and she trained her gaze on a fire escape railing above, silently willing herself not to look down. She had been stabbed - she was tired, and she had been sloppy, and there was a small knife sticking out of her side, right in a gap between her armor, and every time she shifted even slightly a deep, painful ache ran through her.

Barbara's voice was in her ear, tone as poised as ever. Stephanie envied that - her relentless calm, even in the face of brewing panic. It was a skill that had taken months to develop when she was younger, but now, it seemed to fail her. "Spoiler. Spoiler, do you read? Stay with me."

"I - " Stephanie tried to speak, but her tongue felt heavy in her mouth. A bit of cold snow splattered on her cheek, and her eyelids fluttered. "I think I was stabbed, O."

A frantic clicking of keys came over the comm. "Apply pressure to the wound. Minimize blood loss and stay awake. Help is en route."

Stephanie silently obeyed, slipping off her right glove and using the material to dab at the blood. Her hand was trembling, and she snuck a look downwards in an effort to guide herself. Her head swam at the sight - blood was pooling beneath her, glinting red in the moonlight. 

"Fuck," she breathed, dabbing at her side more frantically.

"Talk to me," Barbara ordered immediately. "Hood is 3 minutes away."

"It's just a lot. It's starting to get all over the ground. It's a lot, Ba - Oracle." Stephanie thought she was babbling, and she felt a little dumb, but another wave of pain quickly grounded her back in reality. God, she was stupid. She had seen the knife coming, too, felt it just a few moments before it broke through her skin. She had been too slow, and that thought made her so fucking bitter. 

"Just stay put, he'll be there soon. I've got you, honey." _Honey_. Stephanie was no stranger to Barbara calling her or any other member of the family (semi-family?) honey. It was a term of endearment that often came around when one of them was in trouble, and right now, it was welcome. Stephanie coughed, body trembling. Her thoughts felt sluggish, and the pain was getting worse as time went on.

"1 minute," Barbara said. "A is ready for you in the cave."

Stephanie nodded, then realized that Barbara couldn't see her. "Okay," she said, her speech slurring. She felt cold - very, very cold, and she took off her left glove and began applying pressure around the knife. 

Time trickled past, then the distant whirring of a grappling line came. Jason leaped down from the fire escape, landing a few feet in front of her. Stephanie's head lolled to the side - she slumped down when he approached her.

"Jesus, Blondie," he said, the vocal configurations in his helmet rendering his tone gruff. "I've got her, O."

White pricked at Stephanie's vision. She was melting in and out of consciousness - Jason's helmet was off, discarded on the cold ground next to her, and his hands were feeling around the knife. His expression grew pinched when he shifted it slightly and she recoiled in pain. The blood was pounding in her ears, jittery and frightening, and she could feel heat leaving her body.

"Stay with me, Steph," he murmured, leaning over her. Stephanie remembered the first time he'd performed first aid on her - she had been Batgirl then, and completely blown away by how adept he was at healing. Later on, he informed her of how Alfred had drilled all kinds of medical treatments into him when he was Robin, spending long nights going over suturing patterns and controlling bleeding. Their conversation sounded in Stephanie's head now, filtering through as Jason shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her abdomen.

"Doesn't look like it hit any organs or arteries." Jason was on the general comm line now, sounding both tired and relieved. "Lucky I was in the area. She's lost a lot of blood, can someone pick us up?"

"I'll bring the Batmobile around," Bruce rumbled, and Jason stuck his tongue out at Stephanie, looking disgusted at the thought. Despite how feeble she felt, it got a laugh out of her, and Jason looked satisfied at that.

When she started to close her eyes, he tapped gently at her cheek, one hand still applying pressure. "Hey, stay awake, dumbass. How'd this happen, anyway?"

"Some... guy," Stephanie motioned with her hands. "There were three guys. I took two out but the last one got the drop on me. Fucker."

"Fucker," Jason agreed. "Oh, speak of the devil."

Stephanie was confused for a moment, then golden light spilled into the alleyway, accompanied by the familiar roar of the Batmobile. She saw Bruce's cape first from her place on the ground, the black edges gliding. Jason gently lifted her up, transferring her over to Bruce's arms. She leaned her face against his suit, looking up at him as he placed her in the back of the Batmobile.

"Sorry," she choked out, face contorted with pain.

Bruce said nothing for a few moments, his gloved hand skimming her back. Then, he spoke, voice warm. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Spoiler. We've got you."

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! comments are appreciated. you can find me @onwater on tumblr


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